Fractured
by SpiritOfMetal
Summary: Barricade goes into hiding after he realizes something is very wrong...it it just a malfunction, or could it be...more? Takes place after RoTF. Intended to be Barricade/Mikaela. Rating may change.
1. Alone

Hello, all! This is my first try at Transformers fanfiction, so bear with me. As for the pairing, I have read a few amazing Barricade/Mikaela stories and they inspired me to take a whack at it. I have came to really like the pairing and intend to write more on this story...it stared as something small, but ideas have grown, and I intend to add more chapters.

Soo, happy reading, and tell me what you think!

~**SpiritOfMetal**

* * *

The creaking of an immense conifer tree shattered the silence of the forest. It groaned and cracked, slowly bending into the shape of the creature slouching against it.

The creature appeared to be a large, frightening hunk of metal that moved in ways Earth creatures could not. It creaked every time it moved, and ragged coughs escaped it every few moments. It was obviously in some kind of pain.

Its ruby-red eyes were the only light in the dark of the forest. They faintly glowed and dimmed with the creatures labored movements. From the glow of its eyes, a white plate on its arm was visible, and on it read the word POLICE. Mud and dust discolored it's white paint.

The creature could only be identified as non-other then Barricade, the Decepticon hunter.

Barricade shakily tried to plant his feet back on the ground and stand, but with no luck. His legs gave way and he collapsed, landing on his abdomen with a crash that shook the forest to its roots. A brief shower of pinecones pelted his back, but he did not move. A low, gurgling growl escaped from his vocal processors, and it soon escalated into a howl of pure agony. It cut through the air and echoed off the distant Nevada mountains, stopping animals in their tracks from miles away.

Barricade weakly moved his arms, long fingers splaying against the ground. He pushed, trying to bring his spiky metal face up from the pine-needles and soil, but a sudden flash of white pain ripped through his sensors and he collapsed once again. He moaned, its deep, tone making his chest armor vibrate. He clenched his teeth, and his eye shutters blinked slowly. _It this how I'm going to die? Out in the middle of the wilderness, armor planted in soil? With no…no other sounds to listen to then my own cries? No Decepticons, no Autobots, not even an organic form to witness my offlining? _

He began to loose focus of the world around him, his visual sensors slowly deteriorating. His audio sensors were still functioning, and yet he could hear nothing. No wind. No footsteps. No pulse of spark or heartbeat. He was truly alone. Barricade shuttered his eyes closed. _No…no, I wish to remain on this planet. I don't care who my allegiance belongs to, as long as I can stay. This planet is somewhat interesting, even with its nearly unbearable inhabitants…_

Barricade tensed as another wave of pain seared through his body._ I-I-I don't even know what's wrong with…h-help…please, anybody…_

Barricade groaned,his voice cracking. Pain seemed to pulse from everywhere on his form. He began to feel his audio sensors fade, and his thought process was dimming.

_It's inevitable…but only if I had a second chance…I could do things…if it's…possible…_

Barricade suddenly became aware of his whole being not responding. He could feel nothing, and only his mind remained…yet he could feel that beginning to dematerialize at the edges.

_No pain…its coming…yet, it feels…peaceful. _Barricade could not recall feeling peace at any point in his life. He never knew what that human word meant until now.

_If I could only have life…again._

At that thought, Barricade was enveloped in stillness. He did not feel, hear, sense, or process. He was still, and gave into the Earth below him. His body creaked as it relaxed into the soil.

* * *

An owl flew on silent wings onto a branch of the conifer tree Barricade had previously used as a crutch. It casually preened its stomach feathers, then froze as it caught sight of the large, dark bulk on the ground below it. The owl watched it with round amber eyes. The black hulk didn't move. The owl bobbed its head. It could see that the object was not a threat. It puffed up its feathers and relaxed them, then opened its beak and sung its haunting midnight chorus. It glided off as the sun began to peak over the distant mountains, slowly brightening the land.

Mist hung over the forest, and Barricades form dripped with the night's condensation. He didn't move an inch when some of it found its way into his black, shuttered eyes.

The sun rose higher in the sky, gleaming off of his windshield plates. The forest came alive, and was cautious of the hulk in its midst, yet accepted it. Birds soon landed on his appendages and chipmunks scurried underneath his outstretched fingers. A raccoon even dared to wander close enough to get an eyeful of his shiny face plates. It tentatively reached a paw forward and placed it upon one of his cheek plates. The raccoon stood frozen, then suddenly jerked its paw away. It let out a low his, then bounded away into the underbrush.

* * *

Oh, poor 'Cade...*tear*


	2. Red and Black

This chapter is a tad bit longer, but more happens. I had fun writing this chapter in particular. ;) Hope you like.

~**SpiritOfMetal**

* * *

Missiles launching…plasma blasts connecting with his body…Megatron's screeching over his comm. lines. These were visions that clouded Barricades disjointed mind. He wasn't sure were he was, but he was sure that this wasn't what the after-life looked like. Why was he reliving some of his lives worst memories? The pain…it was a constant in his life. His loathing for himself and others. He had been taught to kill, destroy, and cause pain to others. Nothing more. That was all he was used for…that was all Megatron wanted. Before, he had never doubted his master's plans, but…they were so _empty_. The life he saw before him had not much meaning to it. For the first time, Barricade felt a strange blossom of pressure unfold in his Spark. He wanted more then that. More then pain. But how? How, when all he knew was how to cause it?

* * *

Mikaela Banes pulled up to one of Nevada's nature reserves in one of her father's beater cars, a rusty Volvo. It was about mid-day, and Mikaela had just gotten out of work early from her fathers Motorcycle and Auto Repair shop. She had been given a half-day to do whatever she wanted: she had chosen to spend it jogging on the trails of a peaceful nature reserve, letting her mind wander as she listened to her mp3 player.

She stepped out of the car and let the sunlight warm her skin for a second while she did stretches. She had planned her outfit according to her activity- hair tossed in a ponytail so it wouldn't get in her way, a supported salmon colored tank top, and some comfy baggy gray sweatpants with sneakers. She opened the backdoor to the Volvo and grabbed a small backpack, especially designed for carrying water bottles. She retrieved the Gatorade and Dasani bottles that had rolled under the seat and situated them in the backpack, got her ear buds in her ears, IPod in hand, and started towards the nearest trail entrance.

Mikaela had been jogging for a good 15 minutes. Her hair was damp with perspiration, and she was planning to stop at the nearest bench for a quick sip of water. She was right in the middle of "Shut It Down" when she turned a corner and about fell over a large pine tree lying in the middle of the small asphalt path.

"Shit!" she sputtered, slowing down her pace just as she was about to topple over it. She paused her song, and peered at the tree. She glanced around her. She was all alone on the trail.

Mikaela stepped over the felled tree. It looked like it had been snapped straight off it's stump by a very strong force. She followed the trees fallen direction and gasped. Something had made a trail of broken trees deep into the woods. Something large had stormed through, and it had given no thought to the destruction to its surroundings.

A chill suddenly passed through Mikaela. She had a feeling that something still lingered in the forest. She had the impulse to follow the path of broken vegetation, but something stopped her. She had no idea what was at the end of the trail. Her common sense told her to keep jogging, but curiosity seemed to move her legs for her. She shoved her IPod and ear buds into her pants pocked and quietly walked to the edge of the asphalt path, then stopped and listened. The swish of the trees branches in the light breeze, and some birds sang nearby.

_Nothing too eerie…_she thought. _What's the harm?_ _I'll still be getting my workout in, anyways._ She took a cautious step forward, then jumped into the underbrush as a few joggers came around the corner. She crouched behind a bush and watched them pass. They were an older couple, carrying on their conversation. They vaguely noticed the log and jumped over it, continuing down the path. Mikaela sighed. If she was going to do suspicious things, she was going to do them alone and without witnesses. She stood up and brushed a few fallen leaves off of her head, then trumped through the flattened undergrowth.

30 minutes passed, and Mikaela knew she was getting her workout in. Her thighs burned from jumping over fallen trees, and her heart thudded at a steady pace. She could no longer hear the whisper of traffic, and only nature surrounded her. She decided she wouldn't get lost because she could just fallow the trail back to the asphalt path when it started getting dark. She stopped and sat on another knocked over pine, wiping the sweat from her forehead and taking a deep swig from her Gatorade.

"Geez, how far back does this go?" she murmured to herself. Suddenly, a thought came to her. She smacked her forehead in disbelief. She forgot her cell phone!

"If something strange happens, then I'm screwed…" she murmured, looking about the thick forest. "Oh well. I'll head back at dark. Its not like I'll get any service out here anyway…"

She took another swig from her bottle, then continued down the path.

After about 20 feet, the undergrowth seemed to diminish and small clearings of grass became visible. Mikaela welcomed the change. She was getting sick of jumping over poison ivy and black berry nettles. Felled branches and trees still scattered the area. She noticed a squirrel dart out ahead of her and she looked towards the ground. What she noticed made her eyes widen and the hair on the back of her neck rise. The indentations in the undergrowth seemed to pop out at her now that she had noticed them. She had been fallowing the footsteps of something big. She rubbed her arms as a chill ran up her spine.

"M-maybe an elephant escaped from a zoo or something…" she said, taking softer steps. As she continued, the larger trees began to thicken. The ground that was left bare was covered with pine needles. Things began getting quieter, and Mikaela was soon very spooked. She could no longer see the indentations left on the ground, and the path of broken trees stopped as the trees had grown to larger sizes. She kept walking, then soon realized she could no longer differentiate between her surroundings. Mikaelas heart pounded in her ears. Blind panic made her palms sweat. She jogged through the spooky forest, frantically looking for a felled tree. Nothing. She let out a cry of anguish, then collapsed on the ground. She had lost the trail. Therefore she was lost in the forest.

Not only was she lost, but she was lost and possibly being stalked by _something_ large and powerful. Mikaela cupped her palms around her face and fought back tears of frustration and panic. If her father had taught her anything, it was to _never_ panic. Panic always made a bad situation 100% worse. Bad decisions could be easily avoided if one kept a clear mind and worked their way through a situation.

Mikaela took a few deep, ragged breaths and wiped her eyes, tucking some sweaty loose hair behind her ears. The next best thing to do now was to put a marker down were she was now, and wander the area according to the marker for a sign of the trail. She could always make a trail for herself to fallow so she wasn't completely lost. She shakily got to her feet, swiping the pine needles off her pants, and looked for a marker. She found a sizeable branch and stabbed it into the ground she had been sitting on, then continued looking for a trace of the trail, humming Shut It Down to calm her nerves. The sweet began to diminish from her palms as she put her mind to use, setting up a path of branches sticking up from the ground as she searched. Something shiny caught her eye, and she dropped the branch she was carrying. She couldn't make out what it was, but it seemed to be sticking out from under a bush. She hunkered down and trotted over to the bush. She peered at the object and carefully picked it up. It was a black, lightweight sliver of metal that had a few knicks and scratches on it. She turned it over, the sun making it glimmer.

_What is this doing all the way out here…?_ She wondered, biting her lip. She stood up from her crouch, and what she saw next about made her piddle. She gave the kind of squeak a frightened mouse would make, her hand squeezing the piece of metal. She cursed as one of its razor sharp edges cut cleanly through the skin on her palm, leaving a good slit in its place. She let the metal fall from her hand, ignoring the pain and frozen to the spot with disbelief.

There, right before her eyes, was what she recognized as a Cybertronian, and from the sinister looks of it, a Decepticon. Decepticons were deadly, dangerous, single-minded monsters that only wanted one thing: destruction. Mikaela was baffled as to why one was all the way out here, in the middle of nowhere, all by itself. Laying face down in a bed of pine-needles.

Mikaela slowly moved back down into a crouching position, not taking her eyes off the giant mech for a second.

_Well, that explains the wreckage of trees. And the black piece of metal._ She squinted harder at the mech…there was something strangely familiar about it. The word POLICE was written on a white panel on its arm. Her eyes grew wide.

_Barricade! The Saleen that tried to kill me and Sam!_ Tensed with realization, Mikaela stood her ground. She knew that the Decepticon would have sensed her presence by now…and for what she knew about the Autobots, Cybertronians didn't just lay around in the middle of the woods when they wanted a nap. There was something seriously wrong with him.

Mikaela stood, a little bit more confidently this time. She slowly walked out from behind the bush, and stood about ten feet from the mech. He remained motionless. Mikaela slowly crept closer, closing the distance between them to five feet. Still not a hint of movement. She picked up a pinecone and blindly tossed it at him. It bounced off his arm plate with a clang, and Mikaela closed her eyes and braced herself for a shot of plasma to tear straight through her. Minutes passed by. She opened her eyes. Barricade still remained in his sprawled, defeated looking position on the ground. Mikaela stood and furrowed her brow in pity. The poor sap was dead, she was sure of it. Or in a very, very heavy form of sleep. A part of her hoped he was dead, but the other hoped he wasn't. For why, she wasn't sure.

She took a deep breath, then closed the last remaining feet between him until she was right up to him. Mikaela bent over his form in awe. She realized she had never been this close to a Decepticon before, and the difference between the Autobots and the Decpeticons was like night and day. Decepticons were much more detailed and sinister looking, not to mention sharp to the touch. He seemed to glimmer with spikiness.

From what she could see, Barricade had been through some bad fights. He had scratches and dents all over him, and one of his windows was cracked. Dust covered most of him, masking his black body paint's shininess. She gently nudged his arm with her foot and watched him. Still nothing. Perplexed, she dropped into a crouch and peered into the creatures face. His face was very detailed, and about the only part of his body that wasn't dirty or scratched up. His eyes appeared closed, and his toothy mouth was slightly open. She winced- she didn't know that Decepticons had such sharp teeth. The plates on his face seemed to be making up some kind of expression- and from the looks of it, he was in pain, but now he had relaxed somewhat. Mikaela brought a hand up to one of his forehead spikes and gently brushed it. She felt pity and sympathy for the poor guy. He had been in pain, and he was all alone. Mikaela knew what that felt like…and it was not pleasant in the slightest. Her hand lingered there…he was very smooth, yet cold. She brought her right had up to her face to itch her nose, then felt something wet on her cheek. She looked down at her palm to see it covered in blood. "Well _damn._" She mumbled, surprised. She had completely forgotten about her previous injury amidst her new discovery. She pulled her backpack off and grabbed her water bottle and sweat rag. She unscrewed the cap and ran water over the gash, washing most of the blood off. Oddly, she could not quite yet feel the pain for such a deep cut. She washed it out the best she could, using up most of her water, then wrapped the rag around her palm.

She brought her left hand up and absent-mindedly chewed on her thumbnail while she assessed the situation. Barricade, by the looks of him, was surely dead or passed out. She knew that he would be discovered sooner or later by the general population, and that was not a good thing. She could alert the Autobots of his location and they would dispose of him – Mikaela bit down harder on her nail. Her stomach grew upset at the thought of the Autobots tearing him to pieces before throwing his remains in a junkyard.

She knew he deserved better.

"Ugh." She mumbled, playing with a strand of hair. If she was going to keep Barricade a secret, then how could she move him, and where would he go?

Mikaela decided that it would be impossible to move him – the forest was too thick to bring her dad's toe truck to haul him off, and people would notice him on the back of the truck. The only way she could move him was if he was in his vehicle mode.

Mikaela rubbed her cheek in thought. "The only way he could get into his vehicle mode was if he was conscious…" She very well knew that that would be a huge risk on her own safety and others if she could raise him. If she could somehow do it gently and show him that she meant no harm, then surely he would co-operate. Something told her that he had more common sense then the other Decepticons.

"Okay, so I will t-try and wake him up…but how?" she whispered, rubbing her chin. Her eyes traveled over his body until they rested on his chest. She had learned from the Autobots that Cybertronians had a "Spark",as they called it – it was their very core and soul, and they could not live without it.

She kneeled, looking up underneath his arm. If he still had a Spark, then it would be smack-dab in the middle of his chest, behind all that armor.

From her adventure in Egypt, she had discovered that the mechs could be revived through direct contact with something powerful or electric driven into the chamber the Spark was – Optimus's scenario was the main example.

Mikaela stood and stepped back a pace.

"Alright. So, he needs some power going to his Spark…I suppose I could try and jump him with jumper cables. I mean, he is a car…so technically…it might work."

Mikaela jammed her hand into her pocket and pulled out her IPod. She pressed its select button and read the display screens time. Four o'clock. The sun would be setting in about two hours. She had to hurry if she was going to go through with her plan.

Mikaela gathered herself and headed back towards the bush she had found the black piece of metal, then picked it up and put it in her backpack. She turned, stealing a glance at Barricade's black mass.

"Don't worry…I will be back." She whispered.

* * *

It had taken her a good half hour, but Mikaela finally found her way back to the trail of fallen trees. Soon, she was back on the nature reserve. By the time she got to her car, the sun was already beginning to cast long shadows. Mikaela hastily drove to her dad's Motorcycle and Auto Repair shop, running a few red lights on the way.

Luckily, her father had closed the place down so nobody was at the shop. She unlocked one of its bulky sweeping doors and hurried inside to its ample, rickety 3 car garage. The place was dark and smelled of grease. She quickly scanned through her fathers tool rack and spotted just what she was looking for: her dad's heavy-duty portable battery jumper. She grabbed it, threw a few flashlights into her backpack, then ran sprinted out the door, not forgetting to lock the place back up. She speed back to the nature reserve, hoping she could manage to do what she had to do before the place closed. She snatched her supplies and tore down the asphalt trail, being as quiet and fast as she could manage. The sky was beginning to turn a burnt-orange when she finally arrived at were Barricade lay.

Mikaela dropped on her butt next to him in a frenzy of pants. She took another swig of her dwindling Gatorade, then unwrapped the battery jumper's cords. Once she had everything laid out before her, she sat back and caught her breath. Barricade was still in the same position he was in. Nothing about him had changed.

Mikaela wiped some perspiration off her upper lip, then stood and eyed Barricade's chest cavity. The only way she could get to his Spark was if she could some how push him over. Mikaela brushed her hands together.

"Damn it…well, looks like I'm going to have to use every muscle in my body…" She positioned herself next to his arm, planted her feet squarely on the ground, then pushed as him with all her might. Surprisingly, he wasn't as heavy as she thought he would be, but she still had to use all her strength to flop him over. As she pushed, horrible shrieks of metal grinding metal came from him and echoed throughout the forest. She hated the sound, but she couldn't stop now…if she did, his arm would crush her.

"J-ust…a little…bit m-more…!" she gasped, every muscle in her legs and arms burning from the force. With one last heave, Mikaela was able to toss his arm to his other side, causing his whole body to turn and lean on a conifer tree, exposing his chest.

Mikaela fell to her knees. "GUH..uh..gh." she panted. She remained on the ground, letting her spinning head settle and her burning limbs rest. After a few mintues, she reached for the battery jumper and stumbled to her feet. She walked right up to the looming Decepticon and dropped the jumper to her side. His wide chest had the grill of the Saleen he took the form of, headlights and all. It was wider then she thought it would be. An indentation in the middle of his chest gave her the clue that the armor could flip out like she was opening a kitchen cupboard. The problem was, she had no clue how to open it. She stared at the grill, looking for some kind of button, lever, indentation, word, symbol - anything that would signal an opening. She couldn't find anything.

Mikaela's heart began to sink with loss of hope. Had she come this far to be turned away?

She sighed, bringing up her bandaged hand and rested it on part of his grill.

"I'm sorry, Barrica-" Mikaela was cut off as she felt a slight tingle thrum through her hand. She yelped and pulled back her hand to find a bloody hand print left on his black paint. The blood from her cut had filled the rag and was starting to run down her arm, and she hadn't even realized. She watched as the handprint seemed to etch itself into his armor, then dissolve. A series of clicking noises could be heard coming from deep within his core. They got louder, and with a flurry of movement, his chest clanked and rotated open before a dumbfounded Mikaela, exposing a dark pit were his spark should have been. Mikaela didn't move. She watched as a slight glimmer began to show itself deep within Barricade's chest cavity. Mikaela found herself being drawn to the light. She stepped closer. Before her eyes, a small, pulsing, blue glimmer slowly began to materialize. It was small, but Mikaela thought it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

_If diamonds had souls, then this is what it would look like,_ she thought with wonder. She felt the hair on her arms stand on end from the power it resonated. It was so pure, so beautiful…almost too beautiful to belong to such a sinister looking being. Mikaela ached to touch the orb of light, but she knew better. Snapping out of her trance, Mikaela hastily bent and grabbed the red clamp of the battery jumper. She looked for a place to attach it without touching the Spark itself. She ended up quickly clamping it onto a lip that seemed to circle the whole chamber. She put the black clamp on the other end of the lip. Mikaela picked up the jumper in her hands and stared at it. She decided it would be smarter to leave it on the ground to avoid being shocked. She cautiously turned it on, and it thrummed to life. It had a power gauge to the right of its voltage reading. Mikaela set it to its highest setting, then turned it to the highest voltage it could go. A yellow button was the start charge button. The red one below that stopped the charge.

Mikaela gulped. She had gone too far to turn away. It was now or never. She brought a sweaty hand forward.

_Oh please God, let this work…I hope was the right choice, _she prayed, her pulse racing. With that thought, Mikaela cringed and pressed the yellow button.

* * *

Cliffhanger! *evil smirk* BTW, "Shut It Down" is a hip-hop song by Pitbull.


	3. Glimmer of Trust

Alrighty! Third chapter is now up! Thanks to all of you who have given me feedback. It really helps.

This chapter seemed longer to me. I'm starting to get a good grip on Barricade's personality...he really isn't that bad of a guy. ;P

Happy readin.

**~SpiritOfMetal**

* * *

Barricade could feel himself floating in a great expanse of pure darkness. He was waiting…waiting for something to happen. Or that is what he was hoping for.

He was in a kind of state of limbo, a world between the real and unreal. Sadness chewed away at Barricade like a giant termite. He was sure nothing could save him from this gloom…he was bound to relive his worst memories for eternity, forever wishing he had done more. Anguish flickered through him like a pulse.

…_Pulse..?_

Barricade could barely feel it…but it was soft, faint, and real.

The pulse of another being.

That same blossom of pressure unfolded in his Spark, stronger this time. It chased away the anguish that had curled around him like a deadly smog.

_Light? Do I see…light?_

A glimmer of hope. That was the only way Barricade could describe it. He stretched his being towards the light, inviting it closer. It grew brighter. Barricade surrendered to its warmth. His dark world was shot away by the light, and Barricade felt as if he was falling from an immense height, completely blinded by the beacon. He felt the last of the shreds of limbo fall off his being as he hurtled towards the unknown.

He felt himself getting closer, closer to something, closer to –

* * *

Mikaela slowly blinked her eyes open. She coughed, spraying pine needles. She sluggishly lifted herself up off the ground. She felt something hard rub her back, and she turned to notice that she had been lying against a tree. Her back ached with the promise of a large bruise. Her vision was blurry, and she felt…distant, like she had just consumed a sedative. Her thought process was fuzzy, and she could barley piece together were she was. She gradually became aware of her body twitching sporadically. Some of her bones ached, like somebody had reached down into her marrow and punched them a few times. She yielded to the ground and let the strange sensations pass, closing her eyes and trying to recall what had happened. All she could remember was a bright, sudden light, and she had been deep in the forest, doing something important. She tried to moan, but discovered that she could not make a sound. She shot up and started coughing and gagging violently, clearing her throat and esophagus of large amounts of mucus. After she was done, a strange burnt-chemical taste remained in her mouth. She brought up a trembling hand to her face and rubbed her eyes.

"Auuugh…what the hell happened to me?" she moaned.

"Fleshing…you were electrocuted." boomed a gravelly baritone voice.

Mikaela shrieked and whipped her head around. Barricade was sitting up, his long fingers curled around the battery jumper that hung limply from his closed chest. He seemed to be looking at the ground thoughtfully, glowing red eyes shuttering.

A rush of memories dawned on Mikaela's brain. She couldn't believe it! She had brought him back from the brink of _death_ with a simple battery jumper. It almost didn't seem possible. All Mikaela could do was stare at him, mouth gapping.

Barricade glanced up at her, radiant eyes locking on hers. Mikaela froze. He held out his hand, battery charger in his fist.

"Did you revive me with this, fleshling?" he asked, booming voice growing softer. Mikaela's gaze flicked from the battery charger to his red eyes. She hastily nodded her head.

Barricade grew silent. He stared at the device in his claws. Mikaela sat still, afraid she had offended him on some level. Two clicks were suddenly heard from inside his chest, and the battery jumper's cables slid out from his grill. Barricade bundled up the cables, then tossed it over to were Mikaela sat. She flinched as it landed a foot next to her, not taking her eyes off him. He was again transfixed with the ground in front of him. He gurgled something Mikaela didn't catch.

"W-what?" she asked.

"Why. Why did you revive me?"

This question took Mikaela off guard. It took her a minute to gather her reply.

"Well, I saw you just lying out here…I knew something was off about it. I could tell that you needed help. It was kind of a blind decision…" she murmured, poking at her blood soaked bandage.

An uncomfortable silence followed, and Mikaela was afraid to look back into his jewel-like eyes. She felt her cheeks burning red with embarrassment.

After what seemed like an eternity, Barricade finally made a noise that half-way sounded like a choked sob. Mikaela looked up in surprise. She didn't know if she was hearing things - Barricade appeared to still be absorbed by the ground, his claws piled on top of each other in front of him. Mikaela quickly looked away, pulling her knees up to her chest.

"Fleshling…your endeavor to revive me is much…" a short pause, "…appreciated." He mumbled quietly.

Mikaela looked up at him in astonishment. Did the Decepticon just _thank_ her? She hastily cleared her throat.

"Well, ah, ahem, you're welcome."

An awkward silence enveloped them.

The sun was almost completely hidden by the trees that surrounded them. Mikaela began to feel the chill of twilight creep into the forest. Something nagged at her to convince Barricade to leave with her before nightfall. An urgency that crept up her spine and prickled her scalp.

Mikaela stood, her legs wobbly from the electric shock she had received. She put her hands on her hips as Barricade looked up at her curiously.

Ignoring her sudden flush, Mikaela met his glowing eyes and tried to portray seriousness.

"Barricade, I, um…I don't know how to describe this, but I have a feeling that you should leave the forest. Soon."

Silence. He just continued to stare at her. Mikaela could feel a cold sweat wash over her.

"If you are concerned about humans finding me, abandon that worry. I can take care of them myself." He boomed, a growl crawling into his voice.

Mikaela's heart skipped a beat. The last thing she wanted was him getting angry with her.

"No, no, that's not what I mean." She sputtered. "I mean…I have a really deep feeling that you should get out of here, before something worse happens."

Barricade cocked his head and stared at her. "And just how do you suppose this happens?"

Mikaela opened and closed her mouth a few times. This was the tough part.

"Well, if you could transform…"

Barricade made a loud huffing noise, almost like a snort, except it made Mikaela's skin crawl."

"Fleshling, I can not do this."

"W-what? Why?"

Barricade flicked a pinecone with one of his claws, sending it spinning into a tree. The thing seemed to vaporize.

"I am malfunctioning. Something is wrong with my body. This is how I ended out in the vegetation in the first place."

Mikaela licked her lips. _Malfunctioning…is that the robot word for "sick?"_

Pity swelled in her chest for him.

"Can you describe what's wrong?"

Barricade eyed her suspiciously. He growled, then made a whooshing noise. "Moving is very painful. My processors can only handle so much of it. It soon becomes unbearable. The infuriating part about it is that my scanners can not detect the problem."

A light bulb lit above Mikaela's head. She crossed her arms, nonchalantly nudging a twig with her foot. "I have an idea…well, scratch that, more like a proposition."

This grabbed Barricade's attention. He watched her, eye shutters narrowing. She met his eyes.

"Go on…" he growled, waving his clawed hand at her in a gesture.

"If you can manage to get into vehicle form, I can toe you to my dad's work shop and I can try to find the problem."

Barricade snorted at her, louder this time.

"Fleshling, what makes you think you can find the problem?"

Mikaela crossed her arms. "Well, I am a mechanic, after all. Have you ever been operated on by a human?"

"No, I have not. I have never required your kind's assistance, and I shouldn't have to."he growled.

"Humans may not be as accurate as you guys, but we do have the skill and know-how to fix things up. And we could probably get to things that you couldn't because of our smaller size."

Barricade growled. He dug his claws into the ground, flexing his arms.

"The catch…?" he gurgled.

"I will help you as long as you vow to not harm _anybody_ or _anything_ while in my care."

Barricade gritted his teeth and snarled, claws sinking deeper into the ground.

Mikaela was about to run for her life when he finally relaxed. He looked rather defeated, shoulders slumped, head dropping.

"I accept your proposition." He mumbled forlornly.

Mikaela felt a smirk grow on her lips. She suddenly felt giddy and victorious, like she had just won a battle of tug-of-war."

Feeling a bit more confident, she walked over to a rotting log and sat on it.

"You don't like making deals, do you?"

"No, in fact, I don't. I try to avoid them at all costs." He mumbled.

"This one will probably be one you were better off making."

Barricade paused, then looked at her. Mikaela held his gaze steadily until he looked away.

The forest was now taking on the other-worldly gray color of twilight. Mikaela noted that Barricade looked like he belonged in this lighting. It exaggerated his spikiness and dark color. He was menacing in a…almost dazzling kind of way.

"We should get out of here." She said quietly, uneasiness making her legs itch. She stood and took a few more steps towards him. He still seemed engrossed with the ground.

"Can you stand?"

Barricade glanced at her, his ruby eyes boring into hers. Mikaela almost gasped at how the twilight lighting made his eyes ten times more…alluring.

He moved his arms to his sides, bracing himself. Mikaela stepped back, giving him a wide berth incase he toppled over.

His whole body became a cacophony of noise as he forced himself off the ground. Mikaela heard his joints clinking, the plating on his body clanking against each other, and another whirring noise that she could only describe as a sophisticated electric-gas engine in idle. Only the Cybertronians made this noise.

There was also a sickening cracking noise she heard occasionally…it sounded _wrong,_ like it shouldn't be there. He gave guttural grunts of pain when she heard the cracking noise. Finally, he had maneuvered himself into a mild slouch. He was using a tree as a crutch. His legs shook, but Barricade slowly brought himself to his feet. He swayed slightly, but managed to stay standing.

Mikaela expelled the breath she realized she had been holding.

"Ok, now can you walk?" she said softly, not wanting to rush him.

Barricade grunted, but shakily put a foot forward, then another. She could hear that cracking noise, and his wheezes of pain, but he soon didn't need a tree to support himself.

"Alright. Just follow me." She said as she trotted around him, giving him some clearance. She pulled a flashlight from her backpack and navigated her way to the toppled tree trail. She was always glancing behind her, checking to see if he was still behind . He managed to keep up, but Mikaela could see he was having a hard time walking. He growled and grunted, stumbling over trees that he had previously felled. He needed to rest.

Mikaela would normally be creeped out by the dark forest, but she didn't even give the gloom a second thought with Barricade behind her. She knew he was the scariest thing in the forest, and he was in no shape to hurt anyone.

They soon came upon the asphalt trail. Mikaela stressed the importance of being quiet now. Barricade made a huffing noise, but followed in a quieter manner.

Mikaela ran ahead to check to make sure nobody was in the parking lot. The only car that remained was her old rusty Volvo. She jogged back to him and found him slouched in the middle of a nearby trail.

"Just stay here. Don't make a noise. I'm going to go get my dad's tow truck."

"Just…hurry…" he murmured.

Mikaela grew worried. His voice sounded pained…she could tell he was growing worse.

She ran to her car, then speed out of the parking lot. She was relieved that who ever left the reserve last hadn't put the gates up to lock vehicles out.

She returned to her father's garage, ran inside, grabbed a set of rusty keys, then ran around the building to the back lot. There, in the street lights yellow glow sat her father's dingy teal tow truck. She jumped in and stuck the key in its ignition and listened as its diesel engine bubble to life. She navigated out of the lot to the nature reserve in record time. She backed it up closest to Barricade's location, drew its crane down, then raced to see Barricade.

He still remained in the same spot. She waved with her hand, and he shakily stood and followed her. They soon came upon the toe truck.

"See? Just turn into the Saleen and I can get you to the garage." She whispered hastily.

Barricade didn't say a word, but complied. His transformation was slow and pained. Mikaela cringed as she heard more of that dreadful crunching. Finally, he was a scratched up, dirty Mustang Saleen police cruiser. He pulled closer to the tow trucks end then abruptly turned off. Mikaela quickly placed the tow trucks hook underneath his grill, then hopped into its cabin and turned the crank on. The thing shuddered as it hauled Barricade further into its trailer. A beeping noise alerted her that the crank was done with its job. Mikaela put the truck into drive, not wasting a second, and toted the Saleen out of the dark parking lot.

* * *

Barricade dully noticed himself sway on the tow trucks crank as the truck traveled down a dark street. He was in desperate need of a recharge, but he tried to stay on guard until he knew he was safely in a garage.

Barricade didn't know what it was that let him trust the female, but he went along with her plan anyway. At the time, he was too worn to question it. She had came up with a better idea then he could have.

He knew she meant no harm in her intentions…and exactly what fueled them was a mystery to him. He had had a rough time submitting to her proposition, the warrior in him resisting and fighting for dignity. In the end, he ignored his pride and gave into her. It was tough, but he did.

He had never been helped with such blind kindness before…it baffled him. He could not come up with an explanation for her generosity. He also didn't know how to react to kindness. He just went with it, the blossom of pressure in his Spark warming his core.

_She means well…and for this, I am thankful._

* * *

Mikaela pulled into the garages driveway. She climbed out of the truck and eyed the Saleen.

_Besides its dingy-ness, it still looks like a great car._

Mikaela hurried into the shop and came to the garage, pressing a button on the wall. One of the garages doors started opening with a clang. She walked through the garage, clearing tools and chairs away from the space Barricade would occupy. She walked to the truck, then operated the crane to lower Barricade to the ground. She heard Barricade's engine rev softly as his wheels met the cement. Mikaela pulled the truck forward a tad, giving Barricade the room to sit on all four wheels. The truck eased off its shocks as Barricade was fully dropped off its trailer. Mikaela got out and unattached the hook from under Barricade's grill, then drove the truck around the Saleen and parked it back in the spot she had found it. She walked back to the garage and found Barricade still sitting there, his engine idling.

"You can go in now, if you want…" she murmured, gesturing towards the open garage.

Barricade was still a second, then softly revved his engine and rolled into the garage. Mikaela followed, then pressed the button on the wall and the garage door closed behind them. A LED work light was on, which illuminated the fraction of the garage that occupied Barricade. His head-lights helped light up the murky garage.

Mikaela walked over to a shop stool and sat on it. She sighed – it felt nice to rest her butt on something other then pineneedles.

"This garage is very accommodating." grumbled Barricade. His voice echoed around the garage.

Mikaela smiled slightly. "Yeah, it has to be if we are working on multiple motorcycles and cars."

Barricade paused, then flicked his lights off. The garage grew noticeably darker.

"I am going to recharge now." He said. Mikaela noticed how his tone was different…he truly sounded tired.

Mikaela hoped off the shop stool.

"Ok. I guess that's my cue to leave you alone. I'm going to get some sleep too."

She padded over to the LED worklight and grabbed it, using it to see her way to the garages door. She stopped at the door. She heard Barricade's engine turn off.

"'Night." She whispered under her breath as she opened the door and closed it behind her.

Mikaela found her way to the stairway that lead to a small spare apartment. She frequently used it when she was too tired to go home after a long nights work, or if a particularly valuable machine sat in the shop somewhere and needed to be guarded. The apartment was small, yet welcoming- it had one bathroom, a small kitchen area, and a large room that doubled as the living room and her bedroom. Most of the things from her room at home were already moved here: she had clothes in dressers, and most of her toiletry supplies in the bathroom. Even some food sat in the refrigerator. When Mikaela finally moved out, this was where she was planning on making her new home.

She climbed up the stairs, unlocking the double-bolted door to the apartment. She went in, threw her things on the couch that folded out into a comfortable bed. She took a quick shower, changed into some billowy pajamas, then folded out her bed. She grabbed her pillow and sheets, then nestled herself into the couches comfy folds.

She had had a long day, and her muscles still ached from all the running she had done.

She closed her eyes and smiled as she thought of the snoozing Saleen parked down in the garage. Things had worked out nicely with the Decepticon…there was something strikingly different about him. He was even mildly polite. Nothing like she had thought he would be like.

Luckily, the shop would be closed for the weekend. She knew at some point she would have to show her father her newest "project." It wouldn't be too hard to break the news to him, being that he already knew about the Autobots. He didn't mind them, as long as they left him out of their business. They were happy to oblige.

She didn't know how he would react to housing one of the "bad guys," but she was sure he would eventually agree to let him stay until he was fixed up.

_I'm sure tomorrow won't be boring in the slightest._

_

* * *

_

So! Tell me what you think!


	4. Paroxysm

Chapter 4 is finally up! Updates will come at a slower pace now that school is starting up again, but I will still continue to try to get them up in at least a few days. I will post on my profile if something happens to delay the story.

I once again thank all of you who have taken the time to review and give me inspiration. ;D

~**SpiritOfMetal**

* * *

The lurid woods shivered with the impact of something massive landing nearby. Footsteps thumped against the ground, causing branches to sway. A bulking creature strode through the undergrowth. Baleful red eyes glowed through the tops of the trees.

The creature came upon a large indentation in the undergrowth. The creature paused, its eyes slightly flickering. It turned and noticed the battery jumper lying next to a log.

Its eyes narrowed.

"_Barricade…" _it hissed, racking its claws on a nearby tree.

* * *

Mikaela fluttered her eyes open, feeling the sand of sleep break away from her lashes. Visions of bright lights and strange noises still reeled around her mind, remnants of the night's dreams.

She sat up, scratching her shoulder and stretching. She glanced at the digital alarm clock sitting on the kitchen counter. 9:16 read its stark, red numbers. She stretched, then rummaged through a small dresser for some clothes to wear for the day. She decided upon a comfortable, brown t-shirt with the Trans Am eagle print on it and a raggedy pair of stained jeans. Her main activity for the day was one thing: finding out what was ailing Barricade.

She threw on her clothes and ate a small bowl of cereal, then headed downstairs to the garage.

She opened the garages door and was greeted by cool darkness. She hesitated before stepping into the gloom, a mental image of a huge, dark creature waiting for her in the darkness popping into her mind. She gulped as goose bumps rose on her arms.

"Barricade?" she cautiously called into the murk.

She waited, then heard the sound of an engine purring to life. Headlights flicked on, illuminating the farthest portion of the garage.

She smiled and walked towards the Saleen. The cruiser was still in the same shape it had been the last time she had seen it.

She leaned on a nearby work table. "So, how was your, um…recharge?"

"Refreshing."

Mikaela noticed his voice didn't sound as gravelly as it had the night before.

"Mine was too."

She paused. "I'm going to go find a work light."

She hurried off, returning with a larger portable LED light. She hung it on a metal post and clicked it on. Mikaela ended up having to retrieve three more torches to fully light the area. Barricade waited patiently.

Once she was finished, she pulled a stool up to the side of him, planting her elbows on her knees. She stared at him, her eyes tracing the gashes on his sides. They went deep. Mud spotted his black paint job; his tires were also clogged with soil and leaves.

_He's also going to want a wash-up, I bet…_

Barricade revved his engine loudly, which startled Mikaela out of her daze. She almost toppled off of her stool.

"What?" she exclaimed.

"Why are you looking at me with such intensity?" he demanded, uneasiness in his tone.

"Oh. I, uh, was looking at your damage. It looks like you've been through a lot." She stuttered.

Barricade's engine grew quieter.

"I have. My malfunction makes me unstable on my legs."

"I know. I saw you stumbling like crazy on the way out of the woods."

Barricade was silent.

"Do you hurt still?" she asked, her brow furrowing in concern.

"There is a moderate, bearable pain when I am stationary. It grows worse as I move."

_Gees…if he's feeling pain all the time, that might explain how uptight he seems._

"Does it hurt _less _then it did last night?"

Barricade paused. "Actually, it has. By a fraction."

Mikaela smiled. "That's good to hear."

She grabbed a screwdriver from the worktable, then walked over to him.

Barricade revved his engine lightly. "W-what are you doing with that?" he growled, tone growing sharp.

Mikaela chuckled. She had never heard him so worried.

"Don't worry. I was just going to use it to tap around in your engine to find out where it hurts most."

She gestured towards his hood. "So where should I start?"

Barricade was quiet. Mikaela could almost see his frame tense with uncertainty.

"The pain seems to come from every where, especially my joints. You would have better luck if I was in my default form." He grumbled

Mikaela gestured around her. "I don't think you would be able to do that here, this is too small of a place. Just tell me what hurts in your engine, and I'll do my best to find the source."

Barricade paused, then popped open his hood with a click.

Mikaela walked over to it and lifted up the hood. Her eyes grew wide and she whistled. A large, sleek, completely black bulk of complex machinery greeted her eyes.

"_Nice _custom engine."

"I must warn you: be careful. It is very sensitive." He growled, a warning in his voice.

"Ok, ok." She said softy, then bent to take a good look at its details.

The engine was in very good shape, but she noticed a strange yellow-ish liquid she had never seen before on a normal car congealed around an engine cap and other various wires and tubes.

"Ick…" she whispered, poking it with her screwdriver. She pulled it away and the ooze followed, then snapped off of the end of the screwdriver.

"_That's _attractive." She mumbled.

"What is?" answered Barricade's booming voice.

She snorted. "I was being sarcastic. What is this yellow ooze on your engine cap?"

"That is my body's natural defense to a mild infection. It serves the same purpose as what you humans secrete, called _puss_."

"In other words, I hit the source-of-your-pain jackpot."

Barricade's frame shuttered, and a few raspy growl-coughs escaped from him.

Mikaela was about to ask what was wrong when she realized he was _laughing._

She grinned. She actually liked the sound of his laugh. She hadn't realized that the mechs were capable of such things.

"Yes. I suppose you could say that."

Mikaela grabbed a towel from the work table and gently brushed it up against his engine cap, trying in vain to move the sludge.

Barricade shuttered.

Mikaela looked up in alert. "Did I hurt you?"

"…Just be careful." He rumbled.

"Ok." She continued trying to remove the sludge and managed to get most of it off. More of the ooze began to swell up around the engine cap.

_That is were the trouble is_, she thought warily.

She set down her screw driver then grabbed a pair of needle nose pliers. She gently unscrewed the cap, then peered inside. A strange smell wafted past her nostrils. It was pungent and chemically, and it made her eyes water.

"I'm gonna need a smaller light…" she murmured, rummaging around in a tool case until she found a flashlight that was as long as her index finger. She brought it to the engine's opening and peeked inside. The yellow gunk was all over the place, so much so that she couldn't identify what part of the engine she was peering down. A glint of something silver caught her eye. She moved the flashlight slightly and saw something jagged and rusty poking out of a small cavern.

_That doesn't belong there._

Without saying a word, she slowly eased the pliers into the hole, almost loosing the tool to the yellow glop a few times. She clamped the plier's small mouth to the splinter, then took a deep breath.

_3…2…1……_

She gave the piece of metal a quick jerk, dislodging it from were it was burrowed.

Suddenly, the engine below her came to life in a violent, stupendous roar. Mikaela screamed, loosing her grip on the sliver. It slipped from her grasp and fell deeper into the yellow muck. She jerked back, trying to avoid the ragging car. His hood slammed shut, missing Mikaela by inches. Unearthly shrieks of agony rang through the garage, accompanied with the cars revving engine and Mikaela's own cries. She covered her ears, running underneath a work table as the Saleen's tires spun sporadically, the car lurching back and forth, knocking over stools and tool chests.

Mikaela cowered, feeling helpless, scared for her life and horrible for causing the creature so much pain. The Saleen was getting dangerously close to bashing through the garage door. She had to stop Barricade from destroying her garage.

Trembling, she got to her feet and inched towards the writhing car.

"Barricade!" she shouted over the screeches and revs. "Barricade, I'm so sorry! So, so sorry…" she pleaded, coming closer to his hood. He suddenly jerked forward, nearly smashing Mikaela to the ground. She brought her cut hand forward in a reflex of self defense as she stumbled backwards. It landed on his hood with a thud.

"_STOP, BARRICADE!" _she screamed with her mind and mouth, tears forming in her eyes as she braced herself for the final impact that would splatter her all over the cement floor.

A sudden pain so penetrating - so _intense - _shot through her body like a lightning bolt. She felt as if every nerve ending in her body was being torched. Her mouth gaping in a silent scream, her knees gave way and met contact with the cement floor.

There was also a pain that was mental. It was excruciating...she felt as if her heart just collapsed in on itself. She felt like curling up into a ball and bawling until she threw up. Until she couldn't feel anymore.

As suddenly as it had come, the pain vanished in an instant. Her mind was once again stable, and she became aware of her sense of balance shifting. She opened her eyes and found her self at eye-level with the Saleen's grill. Her cut hand was still on his hood, and she was sitting in a heap on the ground.

Moments ago, she could have sworn Barricade was a harrowing Mustang from Hell, about to smash her. Now, he sat quietly in front of her. His engine was silent, and his head lights were off. He was completely still. Like nothing had even happened.

She felt something wet drip onto her knee. She looked and saw that it was red.

_Blood?_

She saw it dot her knee again, then glanced up at her elbow. Blood was running down her arm from her hand. She lifted her hand off Barricade's hood. Her cut had opened again, and it stung as she flexed her palm.

She got to her feet and stared at the Saleen.

"…What the _hell_ just happened?!" she exclaimed to herself.

"…I should hit you, fleshling…" anwered Barricade's faint voice from the car.

"Wha…" she stuttered, taken aback from his reply.

"Y-you…you just caused me unbearable pain. Do you know what a _warning_ is?" he growled, his voice still weak and shaky.

Mikaela felt a tidal wave of guilt wash over her. She had forgotten to warn him before she had pulled at that piece of metal.

She looked at her feet, feeling quite ashamed. _I do deserve a good smack._

"I…I'm really sorry, Barricade…" she whispered. " I saw a splinter of metal that didn't belong, and I tried to remove it. I had no idea it would hurt you so much."

The Saleen was silent, then weakly spoke. "Did you extract it?"

"N-no. It fell way down in there when you…revved."

Barricade's engine growled, the sound deep and threatening.

Mikaela tripped backwards.

"Listen, I'm really sorry, I-" Mikaela stumbled, fighting to keep the trust that the mech had in her from sliding away.

"Enough." He growled, voice growing sharper. "Leave me to recover for a few hours. Do not come to disturb me."

Mikaela just stood there, startled by the bluntness of his reply. Closing her mouth, she realized that he had demanded her to leave. It was not a request.

Cupping her bloody hand, she turned and walked to the garage's door. She hesitated, torn between running back to the car and informing him that he had no right to tell her what to do, or succumbing to her shame and silently weeping. She steeled herself and barged through the door, closing it behind her without a second glance behind her.

She walked to the shop's backroom that was a small employee lounge with a dusty kitchen. She opened a cupboard above the dirty sink and pulled out a first aid kit. She brought out a bottle of rubbing alcohol and some gauze and cotton balls from the bag and placed it back in the cupboard.

She dumped the liquid on her cut, cringing slightly as it stung. Tears easily leapt to her eyes, and she had to bite her tongue to hold them back.

She dried the cut the best she could with an old dish rag, then held cotton balls on her palm as she gingerly wrapped the gauze around them. She fumbled around in a nearby tool chest and found a glove with the fingers chopped off. She slid that onto her bandage, then plopped into a rickety old computer chair. She listened, and all she could hear was the ticking of an analog clock on a nearby wall.

Unwillingly, Mikaela's mind wandered to the episode that happened with Barricade in the garage. She had been so absorbed in her work that she had failed to prepare him for the pain, or even _ask_ him if she could proceed with what she was doing.

She could sense that he had an unusual amount of trust in her, and she was already destroying it.

'_You just caused me unbearable pain…' _his weak, injured voice echoed in her head.

_Those horrible noises he made…_

Mikaela felt hot tears well-up in her eyes. A sob threatened to break from her throat, and Mikaela shrank, pulling her knees up onto her chair. She fought to control the sobs building up in her chest, the raw guilt that shook through her body. She _hated_ seeing others pain, because she could almost feel what they were feeling.

Mikaela _had_ felt what he was feeling. Somehow, she did, and it was the worst thing she had ever experienced. And _she_ had caused it.

Tears rapidly dotted the dirty oak floor below her. A sob slipped out from her throat, which threatened to unleash all the other ones she was holding in, for fear Barricade would hear her.

After a good thirty minutes of tears, Mikaela's tear ducts were empty and her diaphragm ached from holding back sobs. She was drained of emotion and energy, her stomach was growling. She uncurled herself from her chair and drug herself up to her apartment, retrieving an uneaten half of a day old Subway sandwich she had stowed in her fridge.

She sat on the top of the steps, chewing her food slowly and letting her mind relax. She needed to relax…to just zone out for a while. She was headed to her room for her IPod when a blaring car horn made her jump.

The sound was coming from the garage.

_Barricade._

Mikaela quietly snuck back downstairs to the garage door and listened. She could hear the impatient revs of his engine. The car horn blared again, the sound lasting longer this time.

Mikaela straightened, gritted her teeth, and slowly pushed open the door.

* * *

A lone F-22 Raptor with anomalous black designs on its wings patrolled the upper atmosphere. It lazily tilted one of its wings, finishing the large circle it had made around the United States.

"I cannot locate Barricade anywhere on the North American continent." Hissed a snake-like, high pitched voice in a clicky, electronic alien dialect. "It appears his signal is too weak to appear on my sensors. He is in dire state, and probably won't last long…" a pause. "…although, I have made a recent discovery that proves otherwise…a portable battery jumper, manufactured by the fleshbags… It is _perculiar_."

Another pause. "…Decepticons, keep your sensors alert for any signs of Barricade. If you pick his energy signal up, notify me at once. End of transmission."

The Raptor slowed, then fired it's turbines at full power, heading straight towards the center of the United States.

* * *

_Aaaand the plot thickens! *evil laugh*_


	5. Piano Ballad

Oogh. This chapter took the longest to type so far. _

(I really enjoyed how expressive it turned out.)

Once again, thanks goes out to all of you that gave me feedback! I appreciate it.

~**SpiritOfMetal**

* * *

Mikaela fought to control her trembling limbs as she stared into the garage. The Saleen remained at its end of the garage with its headlights on and engine running. She noticed that the inside of his cabin was lit - a first since she had discovered him.

"You may approach me now." Rumbled Barricade's weary voice.

Mikaela swiftly crossed the garage to him, feeling a cold sweat break on her skin. She stood off to his side, focusing on her bare feet.

"Are you ok?" she asked feebly.

"I have regained full control of my body." He said shortly.

Mikaela was silent. All she could hear was the quiet purr of his engine.

The awkward silence summoned forth the memory of the horrid pain that she had experienced earlier.

_It was so strange…I'm sure I actually felt his pain. Somehow._

_I have to tell him._

She flexed her fingers, readying herself.

"Barricade…you don't know how bad I feel for doing what I did to you."

She tensed, hoping her heartfelt words didn't scare him off.

The Mustang was silent. Its headlights clicked off, but the interior lights remained on. It was as if she had caught the Saleen off guard.

"I can understand if you don't want me to work on you anymore."

He didn't say a word. The car just sat there, its engine idling.

Feeling suddenly flustered and embarrassed, Mikaela turned to leave.

"That won't be necessary, fleshling." His gravely voice cut through the silence like a machete.

Mikaela stopped. She turned and watched him.

His doors unlocked, and the drivers side door swung open, revealing sleek, glossy leather vinyl and a black and chrome detailed interior.

Mikaela froze, then pointed her gloved hand at him.

"Do you want me to…to go inside…?"

He didn't answer, but the door remained open.

Nervous, Mikaela took a few steps towards him. She had trusted him enough by now, and she had enough knowledge to know that he probably wouldn't kidnap her or harm her. She knew he was different.

_Oh, what the hell. What's the worst he could do?_

She walked up to him, then slowly eased herself into the drivers seat. She sat awkwardly, not letting her back touch the seat. It was comfortable, and his interior had that new-car smell that reminded her of her childhood. His door swung shut, but she didn't hear him lock it. This made her relax a bit.

"So, why did you let me in here?" she asked sheepishly.

"I just received a transmission that states my comrades are looking for me. If one of them was close, they could pick up my audio signature. Also, I was getting annoyed by the acoustics of this building." He boomed, his voice resonating from everywhere in the cavern.

"Why are they looking for you?"

"…It involves my malfunction. I disappeared from my base without an explanation, and they were aware of my state. They sense something is amiss, so now they are hunting me."

"Hunting…as in searching for, or with the intent to k-kill?"

"It's hard to tell, it could be either at this point." Barricade grumbled, the sadness obvious in his voice.

"…Oh man, that sucks." She said, her heart softening for him. He was sick, and his kind was hunting him because they suspected something.

"Quite." He agreed.

Mikaela looked at the chrome Decepticon insignia in the middle of his steering wheel. Since his voice seemed to come from everywhere in the cabin, she used the symbol as a focal point to talk to.

She looked at her glove, then sighed.

"Barricade…earlier, when you had that episode, I touched you with my hand that has a cut on it. I-I felt something so…so _horrible_, that I…" Mikaela swallowed and fumbled for words.

"I don't know how to describe it…" she whispered, absentmindedly tracing a finger along the insignia. "It's like I could feel what you were feeling."

Just as she suspected: he didn't say a word.

"I have no idea how it happened, but I think it might have something to do with my blood."

"…That is strange." He said softly. "I felt something at that moment, also."

Mikaela's heart skipped a beat. "Really? What did you feel?"

A pause. "Amidst the blind pain that temporarily caused me to loose control, I felt you put your palm on my hood…it was _warm_, and I…"

Mikaela waited for a continuation, but it never came. "And you what?"

"It is hard to explain, but I felt a sense of calm." Came his terse reply. He sounded as if he was uncomfortable with confiding in her.

_I guess he's not used to sharing his feelings._

"That's odd. How do you suppose it happened?"

"It could very well be your blood, as you speculated. But how?" he asked wonderingly.

Mikaela was quiet, still gently outlining the emblem with her finger.

She had an idea. She remembered touching him with her cut hand in the woods, watching the handprint disappear into his black body paint…she didn't know why, but something told her that she shouldn't give him that bit of information yet. She sensed it would only further confuse him, and he might have a better chance at believing her in the future.

"…I don't know. But this has never happened to me before, I can tell you that much." She said quietly.

"This had never happened to me, either. It is puzzling…"

She could tell it miffed him, but she could hear a certain kind of awe in his tone that she hadn't heard until now. She knew it helped distract him from his current predicament, and for this…she found she was glad.

Mikaela's back began to cramp, so she slowly gave into her burning muscles and relaxed her back on his seat. It was soft, cushiony, and not too firm. She let out a sigh of contentment. She felt her eyes growing oddly heavy. She glanced at the digital clock on Barricade's radio display and it read a quarter past noon. It was so early in the day, and she was bushed.

She knew she couldn't _nap_ in Barricade, but the atmosphere inside the Saleen was very relaxing and inviting, even with its dark coloring.

_I should go inside and sleep…_her mind thought foggily.

She tried to move herself, but her muscles were so relaxed and comfortable. She couldn't bear to disrupt this amenity she felt. Her hands were laid limply to her sides, the gloved one on the seat and the other on her knee. Her legs were reclined in a gentle repose, and her back and head rested on the seat pleasantly.

_Just a little…longer…_

The soft hum of Barricade's idling engine soon became all she could think of . Her eyes slowly closing, she let her mind relax as the sound pulled her deeper into unconsciousness.

* * *

Barricade inwardly flinched as he observed the human's brain activity plummet. Her pulse slowed, and her breathing became deeper. Barricade grew suddenly concerned, apprehensive to if he should check to see if the girl was ok. He stopped, recognizing the human's brainwave activity. She was simply recharging.

_This girl is strange. One minute she is talking, another…fully into REM sleep. Odd._

He observed her eyes begin to flicker underneath her eyelids. Her lips twitched, and her foot jerked and hit his brake pedal.

Her movements began to subside, and soon she was still and peacefully breathing.

Barricade began to relax, languidly taking random scans of the garage when something slammed into his gas pedal, making his engine roar and wheels spin in place.

His shocks jumped with the sudden sensation, and his attention was jolted back to inside the cabin.

The girl, thankfully, took her foot off the gas pedal. Her expression looked pained, and she was thrashing around like she was running. Her head swayed from side to side, and her lips curled back into a grimace. Her legs flopped and smacked into the bottom of his dashboard. Barricade watched, unsure of what he should do. She appeared to still be recharging, but her movements contrasted her brainwaves.

Suddenly, her expression turned from mild discomfort to anguish. Her hands squeezed his seat with impressive strength, and Barricade jerked as he was overcome with a warm sense…of connection. The pressure in his Spark seemed to unfold again, this time more fierce. The rush was strangely intoxicating, yet Barricade felt helpless as he watched her thrash.

Her grip subsided, and Barricade relaxed off his shocks from the taction.

Her lips slightly moved, and she began to make small whimpering noises. They sounded pleading and painful. Her whimpers soon grew to gurgled moans, then her lips opened and her tongue moved. She seemed to be trying to form a word. Barricade stood at the end of his sensors, trying to decode her speech.

"Gaaaade…ughrrrh." She moaned. "Strmmm..efhgh…brrr…"

It was gibberish. _What is she trying to say?_ He thought, frustration beginning to take over his systems.

"B..brr..ii..br…ic…"

Barricade froze as he recognized the vowels she was trying to pronounce. He checked his sensors and found she was still in deep sleep. All he could do was watch and listen.

"Bar…bari…"

_This is nearly…nearly impossible…_

"Barri-cade…Barricade…" she finally pronounced the word. Her voice grew more pronounced, wails of sorrow interrupting her words.

_No…_he sat frozen, unable to believe what he was hearing. The girl was saying his name in her sleep. It was as if she was calling for him, pleading for him.

He watched as she flung her gloved hand out, almost fighting off an invisible foe. Something wet was dripping down the side of her face…a tear.

Barricade felt like his Spark was being ripped in two, watching the poor girl suffer like this. His Spark reached out to her. Barricade was in amazement….he had never felt this way towards any creature before, let alone a human.

Another tear sprung from her eye, and she scraped her fingernails along his door.

He shivered, then decided to attempt to abate her torment. He slowly began to adjust his seat, then lowered it so that the back of the seat was nearly touching his back seat. At first, it had no effect, then she began to ease in her movements, and soon, she was calmly sleeping with her hands under her cheek.

Barricade relaxed his tensed frame.

Her whole episode appeared to finally be over, and he was relieved.

Listening to her deep breathing, he began to ponder what had just happened.

_Why had she said that…out of all things, my name?_

_Were are all of these inexplicable feelings coming from…_

Barricade was confounded by the recent events, but he was sure of one thing: his Spark never felt more vitalized.

He switched on his radio and turned the station to a soothing acoustic-piano ballad, being sure to adjust the volume low.

Absorbed by the music, Barricade slipped into stasis mode; not quite into recharge, but not quite conscious. The last thing he was aware of was the soft, consistent flutter of her heart.

* * *

Mikaela opened her eyes to complete darkness.

_Where am I?_

She fumbled her hands around, trying to touch something familiar. She was on something soft. Her hand slammed into something hard, and she cursed. She felt around the object and it was round…like a steering wheel.

_Could I possibly still be inside Barricade…?_

She noticed gentle piano music had been playing softly.

_No, I must be in a different car…_

She felt to the right of the steering wheel, trying to get to the radio display to read the time. Her finger felt a large button, so she clicked it, and green neon numbers came to life. 6:01 pm. Mikaela thought she recognized the display.

_Is this really him?_

"Barricade?" she whispered into the black.

There was no response.

"Hey!" She whispered louder, tapping on the door. "Barricade!"

The cabin unexpectedly lit up, blinding Mikaela for half a second. Her eyes watered, and she rubbed at them.

"Ugh, too bright!"

_Its him._

The piano music abruptly cut off.

"You had a very fitful recharge."

Mikaela yawned and stretched her arms.

"Did I? I don't remember…well, no, I take that back. I do remember a little bit. I felt like I was loosing something close to me, and I couldn't get it back, no matter how hard I tried. There is more, but I don't remember."

Barricade was suddenly mute.

"What was I like?" she asked, growing curious. She had never heard anything from her father about being a restless sleeper – she was always quiet and still in her sleep.

"…You thrashed about quite a bit. You made noises and facial expressions like you were enduring some form of torment." He grumbled softly.

"Hm. That's interesting. I remember feeling a really strong connection…"

Mikaela's seat shot up, throwing her against the dashboard.

"OW! What the hell was that for!?" she screeched, rubbing her collar bone.

"S-sorry, I had a temporary malfunction." He mumbled, almost bashfully. "You were saying?"

"_I was saying_ that I was desperate not to loose this - what ever it was, and I felt as if I had a gaping hole in me when it was torn away from me. Strange, huh?"

"…Yes, very."

Mikaela settled back in the seat, testing it to see if it would fly back forward on her again.

"Do you dream?"

Barricade was quiet for a moment. "I suppose, if you want to call it that."

"What do you dream about?"

"Sometimes, it is memories. Sometimes it is impossible circumstances. Other times, they are just bizarre and make no logical sense."

Mikaela chuckled. "Those definitely sound like normal dreams."

Mikaela played with a loose string on her glove.

"Why was music on when I woke up?"

" I happen to enjoy the tones a piano makes."

Mikaela snorted and laughed.

"What do you find so amusing?" he growled, sounding slightly offended.

"I just wouldn't expect somebody as scary looking as you to like piano music!" she exclaimed.

Barricade revved his engine menacingly a few times.

"Oooo, you don't scare me!" she said mischievously, poking his steering wheel.

This stopped Barricade cold.

"I was merely being playful…what makes you say that?" he grumbled.

"Well…I can just tell you are different. You may look intimidating, but I can tell…you don't like hurting things."

Barricade remained quiet.

Mikaela hastily twirled a strand of hair in her fingers, feeling her cheeks burn.

"Well, my legs are starting to cramp. Think you could let me out to get some air?"

Mikaela didn't hear the tell-tail click of doors unlocking.

"I never locked the doors." His voice boomed. "You were always free to leave."

Mikaela was quiet. She was embarrassed, but touched that he had always given her the choice to leave if she got uncomfortable.

She hesitated, then opened the door and flopped her legs outside.

She stood on her tingling legs, taking a few steps from the car. Her foot collided with something hard.

"Dammit!Ow!" she cursed.

Barricade's headlights flicked on, giving her a considerable amount of light.

"Thanks." She said quietly, walking over to the garage door. She pressed a button on the wall, and the garage door hummed as it let in the last few orange rays of the sun.

Mikaela padded outside, letting the warm autumn sunshine caress her skin. The sun was putting on its last light show as it set, and it was a beautifully colorful one.

She closed her eyes and smiled, breathing in the fresh, crisp scent of warm air. For a minute she was lost in the smells and colors, floating in a sea of warmth when the sound of approaching tires snapped her back to Earth.

Barricade came rolling up to her, the sunlight gleaming off his body. He was marvelously shiny in the sunshine, even with the dirt and scratches.

"Do you enjoy the feeling of the sun?" she asked, sitting down on the cool cement driveway.

"Yes, it is quite pleasant." He murmured, his voice softer and more controlled, as if to create less of an echo.

"Mhh." She agreed, closing her eyes and letting the sun kiss her face.

"It is a very beautiful sunset." He rumbled.

He sounded so relaxed and distant, as if he was truly enjoying the moment. Mikaela felt her heart flutter. Her face burned as she realized his voice had just sounded very…_alluring._

"Y-yeah," she stuttered, clearing her throat.

They both watched the sun sink lower into the horizon until the blue wash of twilight swallowed the suburbs.

Mikaela looked at her stomach as it growled with emptiness. She was starving.

She got to her feet and looked at the Saleen next to her.

"I'm hungry. I think I'll go in to look for something to eat."

She started back inside, looking behind her.

"Are you coming back in?"

"Yes. I will not stay out for too much longer…it is too risky."

Mikaela nodded then headed inside.

After rummaging through her cupboards, she came upon a can of tomato soup and decided to cook it up.

After it had warmed, she sat nestled on her couch and sipped at her soup, enjoying its rich and creamy flavor. Silence buzzed through her ears. She expected the peace to be nice, but it left her feeling lonely. She missed the white-noise of Barricade's large, powerful engine.

Finishing her soup, she drank a glass of water then returned downstairs. The shop was almost completely dark, so she turned on all the lights she came across.

She walked to the garage and creaked open the door. Barricade sat in the darkness with his lights on.

"How did you shut the door?" she asked, leaning against the door frame.

"I have my ways." His deep voice echoed.

She quietly chuckled, then padded over to him.

"Ugh…today has been a long day, even if I haven't been awake for most of it."

Barricade lazily revved his engine in agreement.

She crossed her arms. "I'm sorry for what happened earlier."

"No need to worry."

Mikaela chewed on her lip. "Have you felt any pain lately?"

"It has subsided quite a bit, but I am wary about going to default mode. It seems to hurt the most, but I will eventually have to do it to stretch."

"Hm. Well, you'll hit that hurtle when you come to it. Were do you think I should try to work on tomorrow?"

"My front suspension is sticking quite a bit. I feel something is clogging it. It would be easier for you if I was in default to try and remedy it."

Mikaela raised a hand towards the roof. "As long as you sit down or something, I suppose it could be done. Just make sure you don't put a hole through the roof."

Barricade made that wheezing-cough noise again. "I will try."

"Ok." She grinned, enjoying his laugh.

He settled, then turned off his engine. His headlights dimmed.

Mikaela hesitated. She knew that was her cue to head to her quarters, but she didn't want to leave. She wanted to talk to him, to hear his engine, to relax in his cabin and listen to soothing piano music. She was glued to the spot.

"Well, um, g-goodnight." She pulled herself away, leaving the Mustang to itself.

Just as she closed the door behind her, she thought she heard a gravelly voice whisper:

"Goodnight."

She smirked, her chest swelling with a radiance that reached her cheeks.

* * *

Wow. So, now we see the signs of an actual relationship... ;)


End file.
